Robbie Hummel on Purdue basketball loss: 'People are crushing coach Painter. I get it...'

In the wake of many of the nation's top big men seeing their seasons end earlier than expected (see Zach Edey, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Armando Bacot, Oscar Tshiebwe, Arizona's big men), there's a lot of conversation about their value in tournament play.

When it comes to Purdue's exit against No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, former Boilermakers star Robbie Hummel finds a simple answer.

"Honestly, Zach Edey just didn't get enough help. That's what stinks," Hummel said on SiriusXM Radio. "They were missing wide, wide-open shots."

Edey had 21 points and 15 rebounds against FDU, but Purdue made just 5-of-26 3-pointers and didn't get the ball to Edey in the closing minutes.

"Fairleigh Dickinson's game plan is not complicated," Hummel said. "It's throw four people at Zach Edey. Don't let him post and make everybody else beat you.

"I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but Purdue's shooters were shooting shots you'd shoot in HORSE. A lot of them were wide open."

Insider:'It ended poorly' for Purdue, but future looks bright

Purdue shot 32.2% from 3-point range for the season, and among players who attempted at least 100 3s, Braden Smith had the best percentage (37.6%).

Purdue coach Matt Painter is being criticized in the wake of three consecutive years of Boilers' NCAA tournament losses to double-digit seeds, but Hummel doesn't see it.

"People are crushing coach Painter. I get it. The buck stops with him. … As a player, if you're getting wide-open shots, your coach is doing something right."

Adaptability, no ego and breakfast:How Matt Painter keeps winning with Purdue

More:How Robbie Hummel became one of college basketball's best TV analysts

However, Hummel is concerned about Purdue's struggles against full-court presses. Penn State nearly came all the way back from a 17-point deficit in the closing minutes of the Big Ten championship game by pressing the Boilermakers.

"The press-break stuff, that's a different story," Hummel said. "I don't understand why the press gives them so much trouble. Sometimes, at the Big Ten tournament, Bruce Weber and I were sitting there watching, and it was guys were catching (the ball) refusing to turn to actually break the press."

Purdue had 16 turnovers against FDU, and they committed 388 for the season, 41 more than they forced.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball: Robbie Hummel says players must shoot better